Face shield



Sept. 7, 1943.

W; F. SERR 2,328,687

FACE SHIELD Filed Jan. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR iflLl/HM I'TJERI? ATTORNEY pt. 7, 1943. w. F. SERR Y 2,328 6 7 FACE SHIELD Filed Jan. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR @L/AMF SE/Ff? C} M (I N (ilg'm ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1943 zszstsr entree star-es PATENT OFFICE William.F. Serr, New York, N. Y.,, assignor to EricPusinelli, New York, N. Y;

Application: January 26, 1940, Serial No. 315,630

In- Great'Britain April 2 2, 1939' 2: Claims.

This invention relates to face shields-, such as eyeshields', windshiel'dsor the like, and more parti'cularly'toashield adapted for use. in: connection with a cap or. other headgear...

The shield. to which the present invention relates is primarily employed'for the purpose of.

protecting: the face of the wearerand especially the: eyes from wind, glare; etc. The face shield is-welladapted for various uses, as for example; insports where a light compact shield is desired, and; it is therefore adapted to be. employed. with a hat, cap, bandeaul or other article ofi'headwear providedwithi visor. For convenience, the

article of headwear is referred to hereinafter as a cap, but it will be understood that this ex"- pression, unless otherwisequalified, comprehends any type of headwear suitable for the purposes herein described;

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the" invention, a face shield. is provided from:

. transparent material, ipreferably'of the type tion to those protected by the main'portion of the shield, and these extensions are so constructedand attachedrto themain. portion of the shield so that when the shield is. moved into inoperative position against the visorthe extensionsdo not project beyondithe visor. 1

The eyeshield may be provided with means for attaching it to the cap in suchmanner that its position relative to theface, of the wearer can be adjusted.

A An object of the present invention is the provision of a shield adapted to be associated with the visor of a cap for movement between inoperativeposition lying against the visor and operative position before the face of the wearer, and

which when in operative positiorfis bowed or' arched to conform somewhat with the shape of the face.

Another object of the invention is to provide. a,

shieldwhich can be readily detached from the cap when not in use.

sun another object of the invention is the pavisiontof shield-of such construction as to. protect a substantial portion of theface of the wearer but which is adapted to be collapsedinto-a compact unit against the visor of the cap with. which it is. associated.

Still another object ofthis invention is the provision cfa shield which can be readily adjusted between a plurality of positions relatively to the face of the-wearer;

Various, other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following particular description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the "claims appended hereto; the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in con-- motion with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is, a side elevational view of a cap having a shield associated therewith in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, bottom plan view showing the visor portion of the cap of Fig. 1 and the shield associated therewith, the shield being shown in inoperative position against the visor;

Fig.3 is a, view similar to Fig. 2, only showing the shield inoperative position;

Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 3, only showing the shield in' an alternative operative positiofn wherein it is spaced farther from the face of the wearer than it is in the position illustrated in] Fig. 5.is a bottom plan view of the visor of the cap. shown in Fig. 1, and illustrating particularly the arrangement of fastener elements thereon; Fig 6 is a plan view of the shield and illustrating particularly the arrangement of fastener;

of the extensions in collapsed, inoperative posi-, tion and another of the extensions in extended,-

operative position;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary bottom plan view show- V ing the visor and associated shield with the shield in operative position; and

Fig. 11 is a view generally similar to Fig. 10 only showing the shield in inoperative position.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended tobe as generic in their application as the art will permit. Like referenc'echaracters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, an article of headwear is provided which, as above stated, may comprise any suitable type of head,- gear, and which in the present illustrative embodiment is a cap I having a visor I0 I.

Associated with and preferably det'achably connected to the cap I00 is a shield I02 formed of transparent, flexible sheet material, such as Celluloid or a synthetic plastic or the like, which preferably is of such a nature or color as to protect the eye against glare.

The shield I02 is formed with a generally straight rear edge II5 which may have a slight curvature or angularity as indicated in Figs. 2 and 6, with a forward edge II 6 shaped to lie within the border of the visor I0 I when the shield is in inoperative position, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The forward edge II 5 preferably is provided with a suitably shaped notch or indentation I03 to permit the shield to straddle the nose of the wearer.

The shield I02 is detachably and hingedly connected to the visor IOI substantially on the fore and aft center line thereof, by a connection which comprises a flexible strap-like member I04, formed from leather. fabric or other suitable material permanently fixed to the shield as by a rivet H1, and carrying a male snap fastener element I05. A female snap fastener element I 06 is secured to the visor I0! for cooperation with the male snap fastener element I05.

The shield I02 is provided at its lateral extremities with male snap fastener members I01 adapted to engage female snap fastener elements I08 secured to the visor near the sides thereof and slightly forward of the female fastener I 05. When the male snap fastener elements I01 are engaged with the snap fastener elements I08 on the visor, the shield is thereby maintained in inoperative or out-of-use position, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

When it is desired to move the shield I02 into operative or use posit n, the male snap fas fastener elements IIO are engaged therewith, the shield I02 is bowed rearwardly as illustrated in Fig. 3. This operative position of the shield as above described. is illustrated in Fig. 3.

In' certain cases, as for example-where the wearer is accustomed to wearing spectacles, it is desirable to pl'acethe shield I02 in operative position at somewhat greater distance from the face of the wearer than it is when in the position illustrated in Fig. 3. In this case, the shield I02 is swung about the pivot provided by the cooperating central snap fastener elements I05 and I06. The male snap fastener elements IIO ar then engaged with the female snap fastener elements II2 to maintain the shield in operative, rearwardly bowed condition. This condition is illus trated in Fig. 4. i

It will be noted that when the shield is in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, the shield is disposed rearwardly of the three connections which it has with the visor of the cap. On the other hand,

' when the shield i in the condition illustrated in I Fig. 4, it is disposed forwardly of the three connections. Thus, it will be observed that in the first case, the shield is substantially closer to the face of the wearer than in the second case.

' For some purposes it may be found desirable to'render opaque the body of the shield and provide eye-windows directly in front of the eyes, all as will be readily understood without further illustration.

1 In certain cases it is desirable to afford protection for a greater portion of the face than is af-. forded by a shield of the type illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, and in such case there is provided a shield having a main or body portion and extensions which extend outwardly from and thereby increase the effective area of the body. The extensions are adapted to be collapsed relatively to the body portion so that th entire shield does not extend beyond the visor of the cap with which it is associated. A second, and in some respects a preferred embodiment, of my invention contemplates the provision of such a shield having extensions.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive, a shield is provided which is associated with a cap 200 of any suitable construction having a visor 20I. The shield comprises a main or body portion 202'formed in a manner generally similar to the shield illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 hereof. The shield is provided with a flexible hinge 203 preferably attached permanently to the body 202 as by a rivet 2M, and carrying at its free end' a female snap fastener element 205 adapted to cooperate with a male snap fastener element 205 secured to the visor 20I. The shield thus can be detachably secured to the visor and can be moved between inoperative and either of two operative positions in a manner generally similar to that above described.

-Flexible members 2I0 are suitably secured to the lateral extremities of the body 202 as by female snap fastener elements 2I I, and the flexible members 2I0 carry female snap fastener elements 2I2v adapted to cooperate selectively withforward, male snap fastener element 2 I 3 or rearward, male snap fastener elements 2 I4 in a manner equivalent to that described above.

An extension 225 or wing is associated with each side portion of the body 202 and is secured to the body pivotall in a suitable manner it is collapsed'against the body 202 (as illustrated at the left hand side of Fig. 9), and outward, op

erative position standing away from the body (as illustrated at the right hand side of Fig. 9).

The extension 225 is of generally segmentalform and is provided with an outward edge22I which preferably corresponds generally withthe shape'of the associated edge 223 of the body 202,

and with an inward edge 228 which also conforms generally withthe shape of the edge 223.

The extension 225 is provided with a slot 226 which receives a rivet or other member 22l fixed to the body 202 which guides the extension 225 between operative and inoperative positions, and prevents undesired displacement of the outer end of the extension 225. The slot 226 takes approximately the form of an arc with its center substantially at the pivot constituted by the rivet 2| I. Preferably, however, the inner end portion of the slot 226 is slightly closer to the pivot than is the outer end portion whereby, when the extension 225 isswung out to its operative position, the extension is bowed slightly and thereby conforms generally to the shape of the adjacent portion of the face of the wearer.

In certain cases, it may be desirable to provide protection for a greater portion of the nose and adjacent portion of the face of the wearer than is provided by the shield 202 above described. In this case, the lower edge of the shield is provided with an indentation 222 which does not extend inwardly as far as the indentation I03 of the shield I02. It is desirable therefore, that the lower edge of the body 202 be provided with means for protecting the nose of the wearer from abrasion, and in'the present embodiment, this means comprises a soft strip 220 which may be formed from leather or other suitable material.

The strip 220 preferably is secured to the body 202 by the rivets 22! which also serve as guides for the extensions 225. r

The shield illustrated in Figs. 7 to 11 is used in a manner generally similar to the shield illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 and is adapted to be moved into inoperative position against the visor as illustrated in Fig. 11, or to be moved into operative position depending from the Visor as illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 10. When the shield is moved into operative position, the extensions 225 are drawn outwardly from the body 202 into the position illustrated particularly in Fig. 7 whereby the extensions protect portions of the face not protected by the body 202.

When it is desired to dispense with the use of the shield, the fastener elements 2l2 are detached from the fastener elements 2M, and the shield swung upwardly against the Visor and secured by engaging the fastener elements 2| l with thefastener elements 213. The extensions 225 are collapsed inwardly against the body into the position illustrated in Fig. 11 by rotating them about their respective pivots 2| I, 2! I, either be- I will be understood that they may be reversed all on the respectively cooperating members. Moreover, the invention is not limited to the employment of any particular type of readily detachable securing elements.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed herein, and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a head gear, a cap having a head engaging portion and a visor, a shield having at least a portion thereof transparent, cooperatingelements on said shield and on said visor whereby said shield may be secured selectively in a plurality of operative positions, said operative positions being in front of the eyes of the wearer but at difierent distances therefrom.

2. A cap comprising a visor, an eyeshield having at least a portion thereof transparent, said eyeshield being hingedly, pivotally and detachably secured to said visor, said visor having in the body thereof rear and forward snap fasteners on either side and a central snap fastener, said eyeside and in the body thereof adjacent its hinged edge snap fasteners adapted to engage the forward snap fasteners on said visor to hold said eyeshield in inoperative position against said visor.

WILLIAM F. SERR. 

